Changes for Mail Delivery, Accounts Payable, and Related Services
March 19, 2020
In support of our staff members and following the University’s guidance on limiting non-essential staff on campus, we are implementing the following changes to mail delivery, accounts payable, and related services.
Mail Services
- Mail deliveries will be reduced to Tuesday and Friday on both campuses. Further changes may be considered as the situation stabilizes.
- If you prefer to cancel and hold all mail delivery for your department, please reach out as directed at the bottom of this email.
Package Delivery
- We are instructing Amazon, FedEx and UPS to adjust deliveries as follows:
- For the Evanston campus, packages will be delivered to the Tech receiving dock. Packages will be received centrally at the dock, and delivered alongside mail on Tuesdays and Fridays.
- For the Chicago campus, packages will continue to be delivered to the Tarry or Lurie/SQ docks.
- If absolutely necessary, to foster remote work transition, we are allowing for limited shipping to faculty and staff home addresses until Northwestern's essential operations directive ends. Purchase orders can be directed to a home address by submitting a request for a new “ship to” code. We ask that you use discretion when utilizing this, and require that a supervisor approve these changes. Please be sure to contact your local IT team in advance if you are needing to purchase a new or replacement computer for work.
Accounts Payable
- Instead of printing checks onsite daily, checks will temporarily be printed and mailed once a week, usually on Tuesday.
- Campus staff should not request that checks be held for pick up.
- Emergency checks, which should be rare, can be accommodated by contacting Accounts Payable at a-payable@northwestern.edu Please allow for up to a 48-hour turnaround time.
- Payroll checks will be unaffected by this change.
- Electronic payments will continue to be processed daily.
Tech and Hogan Docks in Evanston, and Tarry and Lurie/SQ Docks in Chicago
- Docks will remain at full staffing levels and open daily on both campuses. If volume declines significantly, dock hours may be adjusted.
Lab Gas
- Lab gas operations will remain at full staffing levels with no changes. If volume declines significantly, dock hours may be adjusted.
Scheduled Office Services
- Preferred vendors that provide regular services (such as Nestle/Ice Mountain for water and Iron Mountain for shredding services) have been instructed to suspend service to campus for the time being.
Please forward this message to administrators in your school or unit. For Mail, Dock, and Lab Gas questions, please contact Tom Luczkowiak at 847-491-8411 or t-luczkowiak@northwestern.edu. If you have other questions or specific circumstances, please contact Jim Konrad, Executive Director of Procurement and Payment Services, at j-konrad@northwestern.edu.
Thank you for you partnership.